Is it worth playing Skull and Bones in 2025?

Ubisoft Singapore developed Skull and Bones and released it in 2024 on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC after years of delays. This open-world project encourages the player base to live out their dreams of sailing uncharted waters on their pirate ships, forging alliances with other pirates, managing resources, and more.

Rather than giving the developer a leg up, this project has arguably caused more harm than good. The gaming community had high hopes for this pirate experience; however, it falls short of expectations despite years of development. Pirate fans should consider saving their hard-earned money and skip this game in 2025.

Disclaimer: The writer has shared their subjective and personal opinions about the game.

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Skull and Bones is all flash with no substance

Years of development couldn't save Skull and Bones (Image via Ubisoft)

Before being thrown into Skull and Bones, players can customize the physical appearance of their character, which is what most open-world and live-service games do nowadays.

Skull and Bones could have been a great experience. Unfortunately, it is devoid of life, and players have a hard time getting into the role of a pirate after the prologue and tutorial section.

Most instructions fail to convey the necessary steps to perform a certain action. The basic gameplay principle is for players to visit distant islands and take odd jobs from generic-looking NPCs. Captains often serve as shopkeepers or vendors for specific crafting resources, which is the beginning of an endless cycle of boring and repetitive gameplay.

While the open-world features failed to engage most players at launch, Ubisoft Singapore isn't ready to give up on this project. Despite the dwindling active daily player count, the developer has been adding improvements to the game and intends to introduce more later this year.

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The combat and sailing are a breeze

The ship sailing and combat are the redeeming factors of Skull and Bones (Image via Ubisoft)

Players can set sail and engage in naval warfare with other ship captains by firing cannons. While it may not be the most realistic or immersive depiction of naval warfare, it is serviceable as a video game.

The sailing mechanic is probably the best part of the title, and it can be done from a third-person perspective or a first-person view as the captain manually steers the ship.

There is a strong likelihood that the community is more inclined to start a fight against fellow pirates than accomplish missions and fetch quests. The mission structure is tedious, which often ends with a player being rewarded with resources and crafting parts for their efforts.

History has shown time and time again that players are fed up with the repetitive endgame grind that rewards them with lackluster loot. Ubisoft Singapore underestimated how the player base would react and could have done something more after years of development and delays.

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Verdict

This is a grind fest that is not worth the trouble (Image via Ubisoft)

Skull and Bones had the potential to be a long-lasting live-service game, given the popularity of the concept of pirates and sea exploration. However, Ubisoft tripped over its own feet by failing to meet the gaming community's expectations. While the project isn't dead in the water, the massive player decline indicates that this wasted potential should be left in Davy Jones' locker for eternity.